Moving to Benahavís
Moving from the USA to Benahavís and the Costa del Sol
A complete guide for Americans considering life in southern Spain — from visas, healthcare and tax to banking, schools, driving, property and choosing where to live.
For Americans moving to Spain from the USA, the idea often begins with something relatively simple: more sunshine, a slower rhythm, Mediterranean food, easier access to Europe and perhaps a home close to the sea.
The reality, of course, involves rather more than choosing a favourite town and booking a one-way flight. Immigration status, healthcare, tax residency, banking, schools, driving, housing and the practical differences between American and Spanish life all need to be considered.
There is also an important question that broad guides to Spain often overlook: where exactly do you want to live?
Spain varies enormously from region to region. This guide therefore concentrates on the Costa del Sol, and particularly Benahavís, Marbella, Estepona and the surrounding western Málaga area. It is designed as a starting point for Americans seriously considering building a life here rather than simply spending a few months in Spain.
On this page
Can you work while living in Spain?
What does life on the Costa del Sol actually cost?
Healthcare and health insurance
Spanish and US tax obligations
Banking and keeping US accounts
Where should you live on the Costa del Sol?
Should you rent before buying?
Buying property as an American
Bringing pets from the United States
Moving to Spain from the USA: can Americans relocate?
Yes. Americans can relocate to Spain, but US citizenship does not provide an automatic right to live or work here.
For short visits, US passport holders can normally enter the Schengen Area without a visa for up to 90 days within any rolling 180-day period. Moving to Spain permanently, or simply spending most of the year here, is different. You will normally need an appropriate visa or residence authorisation.
The right route depends less on your nationality than on what you intend to do once you arrive. A retired couple living from pensions and investments has a very different immigration profile from a Californian software engineer working remotely for a US company or an executive being hired by a Spanish business.
It is also worth clearing up one persistent misconception: buying a property in Spain no longer provides a residency route. Spain's former investor or Golden Visa programme closed to new applicants in April 2025. Property ownership and immigration status are now separate questions.
Explore our full guide to visas and residency in Spain →
For current official immigration and consular information, check the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Which Spanish visa might suit an American?
There is no single “American visa”. Spain's immigration routes are based on your circumstances, work, income, family situation and reason for moving.
The Digital Nomad Visa
Spain's international telework route has become particularly relevant to Americans because it allows qualifying non-EU professionals to live in Spain while continuing to work remotely for businesses outside Spain.
Employees normally work for an overseas employer. Self-employed professionals can have some Spanish clients, although Spanish work is limited as a proportion of their total professional activity. Applicants must also meet qualification or professional-experience requirements, demonstrate an established relationship with the overseas company or client and satisfy minimum-income rules.
The financial threshold moves with Spain's minimum wage, which is one reason we would not recommend relying on an old article or forum post when planning an application.
See the current Digital Nomad Visa income requirements →
The Non-Lucrative Visa
The Non-Lucrative Visa remains one of the principal routes for financially independent Americans and retirees who want to live in Spain without working.
Applicants need sufficient financial resources and suitable medical insurance, along with the other documents required by the Spanish consulate handling their application.
Importantly, this is a non-working residence route. It should not be treated as a convenient way to move to Spain while continuing a normal US remote job from your laptop. Americans who intend to keep working remotely should investigate the Digital Nomad route instead.
Read our Non-Lucrative Visa guide →
Employment, highly qualified work and business routes
Americans can also move through Spanish employment, highly-qualified professional, intra-company transfer, research, entrepreneurial and other specialist routes. These are more dependent on the job, employer and individual circumstances, so professional immigration advice is particularly useful before accepting an offer or committing to a relocation date.
Do not choose the house before understanding the visa
It is tempting to begin with property. In practice, immigration, tax and healthcare planning should happen first. Your visa can influence how long you must spend in Spain, whether you can work, what insurance you need and how the move interacts with tax residency.
Can you continue working while living in Spain?
Possibly — but your immigration route needs to permit it.
This is an important distinction for Americans because “I work online” does not automatically mean that you can legally perform that work from Spain. The Digital Nomad Visa was specifically designed for qualifying international teleworkers, whereas the Non-Lucrative Visa is designed for residence without gainful employment or professional activity.
Social Security also deserves attention. Spain and the United States have a bilateral Social Security agreement intended to prevent workers from unnecessarily paying into both systems for the same employment. Certificates of Coverage can be relevant in determining which country's system applies in qualifying circumstances.
For employees, company founders and self-employed professionals, this is an area where immigration, payroll, Social Security and tax planning overlap. It is worth resolving those questions before moving rather than discovering after arrival that an otherwise sensible arrangement creates a compliance problem.
The US Social Security Administration's international programmes provide official information on bilateral Social Security agreements and coverage.
What does life on the Costa del Sol actually cost?
Broad claims that “Spain is cheap” are becoming less useful, particularly on the Costa del Sol.
Many everyday costs can still feel favourable compared with major US cities. Dining out, fresh produce, domestic services and some private medical care can be noticeably less expensive. Property taxes and home insurance may also surprise Americans accustomed to higher annual ownership costs in parts of the United States.
Housing is a different matter. Marbella, Benahavís and parts of Estepona are premium international property markets. A move from Manhattan, San Francisco, Miami or Los Angeles may still compare favourably, but someone relocating from a lower-cost US city should not assume they are moving to inexpensive real estate.
Benahavís itself contains enormous variation. Living in a village apartment bears little resemblance to maintaining a substantial villa in La Zagaleta, El Madroñal or Los Flamingos. Community fees, garden and pool maintenance, utilities, staffing and security can change the monthly budget substantially.
That is why lifestyle comparisons are usually more useful than national averages.
See our detailed Cost of Living in Benahavís guide →
Compare the Costa del Sol with New York, London and Toronto →
Retiring? Compare Florida with the Costa del Sol →
Healthcare in Spain: what changes for Americans?
Healthcare is one of the areas where the practical experience of relocating from the United States can feel most different.
Spain has both public and private healthcare systems. Whether a new American resident can use the public system depends on circumstances such as employment, Spanish Social Security contributions and other entitlement routes. It is therefore inaccurate to assume that simply receiving a residence card immediately gives unrestricted access to public healthcare.
Many visa applicants begin with private insurance because their immigration route requires appropriate medical cover. Private healthcare is also widely used by established international residents who value shorter appointment times, English-speaking specialists and access to private hospitals.
Around Benahavís, residents have access to private and public medical services across Marbella, Estepona, San Pedro de Alcántara and the wider Málaga area. English is commonly spoken in the international private-healthcare sector.
For residents without another entitlement to Spain's public system, Andalucía also operates the Convenio Especial, subject to eligibility requirements, allowing qualifying residents to pay into the public healthcare system after the required period of residence.
Read our Healthcare in Benahavís guide →
Understand health insurance for the Non-Lucrative Visa →
The tax question Americans should address before moving
Tax is one of the subjects Americans should investigate earlier than most other nationalities because moving abroad does not normally end US federal tax filing obligations.
US citizens are generally taxed by the United States on worldwide income even while living overseas. Depending on circumstances, mechanisms such as foreign tax credits and the foreign earned income exclusion can reduce double taxation, but the underlying reporting obligation does not simply disappear when you become resident in Spain.
Foreign financial accounts can also create additional US reporting requirements. For example, the FBAR rules can apply when the aggregate value of qualifying foreign financial accounts exceeds the relevant threshold.
At the same time, you may become tax resident in Spain.
The well-known 183-day test matters, but it is not the entire rule. Spain can also consider the main centre or base of your economic interests, while family circumstances can create further presumptions. The US-Spain tax treaty contains mechanisms for resolving situations where both countries could regard someone as resident.
The 183-day rule is not a planning strategy by itself
Someone can spend fewer than 183 physical days in Spain and still have a tax-residency question if Spain is the centre of their economic or personal life. Americans planning a substantial relocation should obtain cross-border advice before the move, particularly where businesses, investments, trusts, pensions, stock options or significant assets are involved.
Read our Tax Guide for Moving to Spain — Andalucía Edition →
For US federal filing information, see the IRS guidance for international taxpayers.
Banking, brokerage accounts and moving money from the US
Banking deserves more planning than simply opening a Spanish current account after you arrive.
Some American financial institutions restrict services to customers who become resident outside the United States. This is not entirely new: FATCA, securities regulation, internal compliance policies and the cost of serving overseas clients have influenced US banks and brokerages for years.
A further change is now approaching through the EU's revised Capital Requirements Directive, often referred to as CRD VI. The new regime introduces tighter requirements for certain non-EU institutions providing core banking services within the EU.
However, this should not be simplified into “Europe has banned Americans from keeping US bank accounts”. Nor does an account being opened years ago guarantee that a particular institution must continue serving you indefinitely. Banks and brokerages can make their own commercial and compliance decisions, and some institutions are already reassessing relationships with EU-resident clients ahead of the new regime.
Before relocating, it is sensible to tell your bank and investment providers that you expect to become resident in Spain and ask whether they will continue to service your account using a Spanish address.
This is particularly important for brokerage and retirement accounts. An unwanted forced sale can be far more consequential than simply having to replace a checking account.
For property buyers, currency deserves its own consideration. Moving hundreds of thousands of dollars into euros exposes you to exchange-rate movement that can materially change the effective purchase price. Buyers commonly plan the transfer alongside their solicitor and regulated foreign-exchange provider rather than leaving it until the week of completion.
Where should an American live on the Costa del Sol?
The answer depends much more on your lifestyle than your nationality.
Málaga city offers urban life, culture, restaurants, public transport and one of Spain's increasingly important international airports. Marbella is more resort-like and international, with beaches, restaurants, established residential neighbourhoods and a large year-round foreign community.
Nueva Andalucía is particularly popular with buyers wanting golf, villas, international amenities and quick access to Puerto Banús. San Pedro de Alcántara feels more like a year-round Spanish town while remaining close to Marbella and the coast.
Estepona has changed enormously over the past decade and combines an attractive town centre, long coastline, newer developments and residential communities stretching east towards Benahavís.
Then there is Benahavís — geographically close to all of these places, but with a markedly different sense of space.
Why consider Benahavís?
Benahavís is often misunderstood by people viewing the Costa del Sol from overseas.
There is Benahavís Village itself: a small, characterful mountain village known for restaurants, surrounding countryside and a strong local identity. But the municipality is much larger than the village.
It stretches across a broad area between Marbella, Estepona and the mountains and includes golf communities, apartments, townhouses and some of southern Spain's most prestigious gated estates.
La Zagaleta and El Madroñal appeal to buyers prioritising privacy, security, land and substantial villas. La Quinta and Los Arqueros offer golf-oriented living with comparatively easy access towards Marbella and San Pedro. Los Flamingos combines resort-style surroundings, golf and views closer to the western coast. Other neighbourhoods offer everything from lock-up-and-leave apartments to family townhouses and new contemporary villas.
This is also why online property geography can be confusing. Some homes internationally marketed under the broader “Marbella” umbrella are actually located within Benahavís municipality.
For Americans accustomed to suburban living, Benahavís can feel more familiar than a compact European city. Larger homes, private gardens, gated communities, garages, international schools nearby and car-based daily life are all readily available — but combined with Mediterranean weather, Spanish village life and easy access to the coast.
Why Benahavís? Explore the lifestyle in more detail →
Compare the best areas in Benahavís →
Explore all Benahavís area guides →
Should you rent before buying?
For some people, absolutely.
A few weeks on holiday rarely tells you how somewhere works in February, during the school run or when you need to reach a supermarket, doctor or airport at 8am.
Renting first can be particularly useful if you have never spent significant time on the western Costa del Sol or if your preferred area depends on children's schools.
However, long-term rentals are not always easy to secure in high-demand areas, and the most attractive homes may command substantial rents. Furnished properties are common and tenancy structures can also differ from the US.
The decision is therefore personal. Someone who already knows Benahavís well may have little reason to rent first. A family relocating after two summer holidays might benefit enormously from doing so.
Buying property in Andalucía as an American
Americans can buy property in Spain. You do not need Spanish citizenship or permanent residency simply to own a home.
The buying process, however, differs from the system many US purchasers know.
An independent Spanish solicitor normally plays a much more central role in due diligence. They can check title, planning status, debts, community matters and contracts, coordinate the NIE process where needed, review the deposit arrangements and represent the buyer at completion under power of attorney if appropriate.
There is no American-style title company sitting at the centre of every transaction, and the estate agent does not replace your lawyer.
Buyers should also budget beyond the advertised price. Resale property in Andalucía is generally subject to transfer tax, while new-build purchases usually involve IVA and AJD. Legal, notary and registry costs sit alongside the relevant taxes.
We also strongly recommend that buyers do not transfer reservation fees or property deposits casually. The Benahavís Collection does not hold buyer funds. Where possible, we prefer clients to arrange payments through their independent solicitor and the solicitor's regulated client account.
Read our step-by-step buying guide →
Calculate the purchase costs to allow in Andalucía →
Read our guide to property law in Andalucía →
Search current property in Benahavís →
Moving with children: schools and family life
For families, school choice can have more influence over where to live than the property itself.
The Costa del Sol has Spanish public and private education alongside an established network of international schools. Around Benahavís, families commonly consider schools in the Marbella, San Pedro and Estepona corridors, including international options offering British, International Baccalaureate and other curricula.
For younger children, Spanish schooling can provide rapid language immersion and integration into local life. Older children already approaching major examinations may benefit from continuity within an international curriculum.
Driving times matter. A beautiful villa becomes considerably less appealing if the school run crosses congested sections of the coast twice a day.
Explore schools in and around Benahavís →
Read our complete Family Life in Benahavís guide →
Driving in Spain with a US licence
This is particularly important in Benahavís because most residents outside the village will find a car extremely useful, and often essential.
Visitors from outside the EU should normally arrange an International Driving Permit before travelling and carry it with their valid domestic licence and passport.
Once you become normally resident in Spain, a foreign non-EU licence generally remains valid for a maximum of six months. What happens after that depends on whether Spain has a driving-licence exchange agreement with the issuing country.
The United States is not currently part of Spain's standard bilateral exchange system for ordinary car licences. That means an American becoming resident should not assume they will simply surrender their state licence and receive a Spanish one. In the normal case, obtaining a Spanish licence involves the Spanish testing process once the US licence is no longer valid for resident driving.
Read our complete guide to driving in Spain for non-EU visitors →
For current licence and road-rule information, consult Spain's official Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT).
Bringing pets from the United States
Dogs and cats are very much part of life on the Costa del Sol, and bringing a family pet from the United States is entirely realistic when planned correctly.
The process normally centres around identification, rabies vaccination, veterinary certification and meeting the EU's entry requirements. Airline rules are separate and can determine whether a pet travels in the cabin, hold or via a specialist transport service.
Planning early matters, particularly for larger animals and long-haul routes. Once here, Benahavís is particularly attractive for dog owners because of its open countryside, walking routes, villas with gardens and outdoor-oriented lifestyle.
Read our complete guide to moving to Spain with pets →
What happens after you arrive?
Moving to Spain from the USA involves more than securing a visa and finding a home. Once you arrive, there are several practical registrations and adjustments to work through.
Depending on your immigration status and circumstances, the first months may include obtaining or completing your residence documentation, registering your address on the municipal padrón, arranging healthcare, setting up utilities, opening or updating bank accounts and dealing with Spanish tax and Social Security registrations.
Families will also be settling children into school, while drivers need to pay particular attention to the six-month validity period that can affect non-EU licences once Spanish residence is established.
There is also a less bureaucratic adjustment: learning how daily life actually works.
Meal times are later. Sunday opening is less predictable. August has its own rhythm. Spanish paperwork sometimes moves slowly. Home sizes are measured in square metres. Property prices are discussed in euros. Restaurants rarely expect the level of tipping common in the United States.
None of these differences is particularly difficult. They are simply part of moving to another country rather than importing an American life unchanged.
Before you make the move
A sensible order is usually to establish your immigration route first, then understand the tax consequences, healthcare and Social Security position. Once those fundamentals are clear, you can make better decisions about schools, neighbourhoods, renting and property.
That sequence may not be as exciting as beginning with villa photographs, but it usually leads to a much smoother move.
Frequently asked questions
Can an American buy a house in Spain?
Yes. American citizens can buy Spanish property whether or not they are Spanish residents. Owning property does not, however, automatically give you the right to live in Spain permanently.
Does Spain still have a Golden Visa for property buyers?
No. Spain abolished the investor residence route for new applicants in April 2025. Americans purchasing property now need to qualify for residency independently through another route.
Can I live in Spain and work remotely for a US company?
Potentially. Spain's Digital Nomad or international telework route was designed for qualifying non-EU remote workers. Eligibility depends on the employment or professional relationship, income, qualifications or experience, Social Security arrangements and other requirements.
Do Americans get free healthcare in Spain?
Not simply because they move to Spain. Access to public healthcare depends on entitlement, which may come through Spanish Social Security or another qualifying route. Many Americans begin with private insurance because it is required for their visa.
Will I still need to file US taxes?
Usually, yes. US citizens generally remain subject to US federal filing rules on worldwide income even while living abroad. Spain may also tax you once you become Spanish tax resident, making specialist US-Spain tax advice particularly valuable.
Can I exchange my US driving licence for a Spanish one?
For an ordinary private car licence, generally no. The United States does not currently have the standard licence-exchange agreement with Spain that certain other countries have. Residents therefore need to plan for obtaining a Spanish licence once their US licence ceases to be valid for resident driving.
Is Benahavís a good place for American families?
It can be particularly attractive to families looking for space, privacy, international schooling nearby, outdoor life and access to Marbella and the coast without living directly in a busy resort centre. The right neighbourhood depends heavily on school choice and daily driving routes.
Is the Costa del Sol cheaper than the United States?
That depends entirely on where you are comparing it with and how you live. Everyday spending and healthcare can compare very favourably with many parts of the US, while prime property in Marbella and Benahavís can be expensive. Compare the complete cost of your intended lifestyle rather than national averages.
Immigration, tax, banking, healthcare and residency rules can change and individual circumstances differ. This guide is intended as general information rather than legal, immigration, tax, financial or medical advice. Before relocating, take advice from appropriately qualified US and Spanish professionals where relevant.
Related Reading
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